Because of the glorious heat of summer 2026, we were sure we’d be telling stories at the ball wall, with an outdoor storytelling event to celebrate 40 years of the Whitechurch and Waterloo Community Association. But the weather had other ideas, and moved us inside to the small hall as the first evening of rain fell outside.
Thankfully, the crowd welcomed the change of venue, and we even gained a few new listeners from John A. Mulcahy’s talk on the history of the community centre earlier in the evening. Despite the short-notice change in location, we managed to start on time, thanks to the steady hand of Caroline Foley, our Bean an Tí (BAT) for the evening.
The first storyteller, Mary Walsh, began by reminiscing about the school next door, before continuing into a story of two very different boys in another school writing an essay about the swallow.
Fresh from winning Scéalaíocht (storytelling in Irish) at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Brendan O’Sullivan told us his award-winning story. Most in the room caught the gist, but Brendan was kind enough to give a summary in English too. Congratulations again, Brendan!
Pauline O’Grady-Noonan told us a gorgeous story about growing up on the family farm in Co. Clare, and the beautiful, spirited relationship between her brother Francis and her mother. And all the local news they shared when their mother was trying to make the evening phone calls.
We had been praying for rain all summer, and while it came that night, Trish Burke told a very appropriate story about a trip to town with her mother’s friend Gretta. Because of the rain they encountered a mysterious man and his umbrella and had to get to the bottom of the mystery.
“Once upon a time there was a midwife,” according to our next teller, Deirdre O’Mahony who transported us to another world of tall dark men, pudgy babies and bags of gold seen through the eyes of the midwife, magical stuff.
It was something special to hear Paul O’Sullivan honouring his mother Peggy, on home ground, with a story about her desert island discs. Paul had us singing along, laughing and crying in equal measure.
To end the stories, Sharon O’Neill enthralled us with Mis and Dubh Rois, a story of grief, madness, lust and love about a legendary woman who lives on to give Slieve Mish mountain range its name. Sharon delighted the Whitechurch audience with the term ‘tricking stick’, imaginations were running wild!
Mo O’Connor, from Conna, brought us his poem “The Tinkers at Tallow Fair,” along with a run through some beloved songs — The Galway Shawl, Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, Save the Last Dance, and The Candy Store on the Corner. After the thanks, Mo finished the night with another song, I’ll Fly Away, and a humorous poem he wrote after a five-word challenge. Excellent stuff as always from Mo.
Many congratulations to Whitechurch and Waterloo Community Association on an amazing 40 years. We can’t wait to see where you go next!
Special thank you to Blue Hat Drama for all the help in preparation and thank you to the organisers, the tellers, the singers and especially the audience. We were thrilled to be able to celebrate with some stories at FestiGeal.
